Missmary, thanks for that link. I think a lightbulb went off in my head. Your link mentioned probiotics, which led me to this article: http://whole9life.com/2012/04/probiotics-101/
and I realized I have had a stressful year, a more stressful last 6 months, and a really stressful last 3 months. I think I have gotten so much better at handling the stress (due in large part to Whole9 principles) that I wasn't as aware of it. My job in particular has been extremely challenging and stressful recently.
I'm going to try some probiotics and see if that makes a difference.

I can guarantee it is not a water issue. I drink a lot of water. JUST water too. While I drink decaf coffee and tea, I don't even count that in my water consumption. I am way over the 1/2 oz per lb recommendation.
Fat? Maybe. I feel like I'm getting enough. Maybe I'll try some coconut milk in my morning coffee. Fat is honestly the only thing I can think I might be a little low on or could use more of.
Here's what an average day looks like for me (this is actually taken from yesterday):
Breakfast: shredded zuchinni, sliced mushrooms, 3 eggs scrambled in coconut oil with a little grassfed butter (not on a Whole30); about 1 cup cubed sweet potato roasted in coconut oil. 2 cups decaf.
Lunch: three mini paleo meatloaves (ground beef & bison, spinach, carrots, eggs), marinara sauce (no sugar added), diced green & red peppers. Raspberries.
Dinner: Roasted chicken - both white and dark meat, broccoli, brussel sprouts sauted in olive oil & balsamic vinegar. 1/2 apple.

I can't believe I'm going there, lol. But, who the else do you ask about this stuff?
I have been eating a primarily paleo diet for over a year. I have done 2 whole 30s in that time. While I am not currently on a whole30, I still eat very close to whole30 standards.
I am having issues with hard stool. Now, I know this is normally associated with constipation, but the thing is, I'm pretty darn regular. 1-2 times per day. So my frequency is good, the consistency is not. Since starting paleo and my first whole30 in January of this year, this has gotten worse. It started out in a positive direction, with things moving along at a much more regular and predictable pace. The consistency has slowly gotten harder and more difficult to pass.
I exercise regularly (3 times a week of strength training and HIIT, walking every single day, yoga 1-2 times a week). I feel like I am eating right. I just cannot for the life of me figure out how to address this problem.
FYI, I am currently supplementing with natural calm with no effect. I also eat some starchy carbs every day, generally sweet potato with one meal.
That's about all I can bring myself to say about my bm right now. Any suggestions or insight are appreciated.

I also dealt with a bout of hives recently, and was racking my brain trying to figure out what i could be eating or what other environmental factors could have triggered it. finally went to see my doctor.
Dr. said he sees it quite a bit this time of year with the change of seasons. I haven't had a problem with it before, but we've had kind of a weird summer so that could explain it. A 5 day course of oral steroids along with a topical cream seems to have knocked it out of my system.

Thanks to this topic, I tried the coconut and I HATE it. Anyone want the rest of my 12 pack, lol?
I'll stick with my tried and true grapefruit (although I prefer to refer to it by it's formal name: "Pamplemouse") and lime.
Off a whole 30, both are excellent mixers for tequila and bombay saphire, lol.

theheywhohaa...
amen sister. Self acceptance is a goal I have been working towards for a long while now. Some times it seems very close and other times very far away.
I love this quote from the movie Bull Durham "The world is made for people not cursed with self awareness.". This self awareness thing sucks sometimes, lol.

Sorry to highjack, but Carlacinni - my mom is from Friesland and you just described one of her favorite meals. She and her family flavor it with VINEGAR. ugh.
(I have the opposite experience of you...I was exposed to that meal many times as a kid and it totally turned me off kale. It has only been in the last couple of years that I could bear to reintroduce it).

This is a really common problem (not specifically on Whole30). And not just on long runs. I was never running more than 4 miles. The consensus I found was just to play around with your diet until you found something that worked.
I got to the point where I wouldn't go on runs until after, um, a number 2 at home, lol. I also found running on an empty stomach worked better, but I know this goes against the wisdom and guidelines of the Whole30.
For me, it actually got BETTER eating paleo.

I actually was originally going to post a message about how to lose weight post whole30. However, I realized my issue is not about losing weight, but about letting the number on the scale dictate so much of my self worth. On my first Whole30 in January, I weighed myself once. On my last whole30 that I finished this past Saturday...way more than that. I realize that neither of these were true Whole30s because of this. And I have also realized, over and over again, that the number on that scale, regardless of what it is, never, ever makes me feel good about myself.
Note that I am not really overweight - maybe about 10 pounds at the most. I, like many of you, struggled with calorie counting and weight watchers and all kinds of counting obsession, along with chronic cardio. For YEARS. I got to my goal weight once, through weight watchers. I was hungry ALL THE TIME. I'm sure I lost muscle, not fat. And of course, I could not maintain that loss. But boy, I could fit into off the rack clothes great, lol.
I have been paleo for almost a year now (I have not counted calories in any way, shape, or form in that time), and my weight has found a set point (of course, not the set point I want, lol). As long as I eat healthy, I stay right around there. I do have a renewed focus on improving my fitness, but I want that focus to be on health and supporting activities I love vs. losing weight.
I cannot bear the thought of going back to obsessing over every calorie I put in my mouth. It's one thing to be conscious of your diet so you focus on the most nutritious things, another thing altogether about making the only goal staying under some arbitrary limit.
So, I need to break up with the scale. In many ways, this is harder than breaking up with sugar, or alcohol.
I know many of you have done this. I'd like to hear your stories. I know this is something I just have to deal with, but I've found inspiration many times on these boards, and I think hearing success stories of other people who have slayed the "scale dragon" would certainly be helpful.

I have a tendency for tight muscles (I'm built very...um, densely, lol). Additionally, an old spinal cord injury means I deal with muscle spasms on a regular basis. For a few years after the injury, I was on some hard core medications, but I have long (years) been off those. However, I still get minor spasms on a regular basis (in my right hand and my right leg).
I've been taking natural calm every night, but it doesn't seem to be making any difference. I'm wondering if a different supplement would work better, or if maybe I need to double up on the natural calm and take a full dose in the AM and another in the PM (right now I take in the PM only). I do not have the...issues...others have with magnesium so taking more is not a worry for me.

I'm on day 26 of my second. Did my first in January of this year.
I'll be completely honest. This one has been horrible. Granted, I am going through stress due to work and relationship issues...but I was going through something similar my first one. In fact, I specifically choose to do a second one right now with the hopes that I would get similar results as before: better, more consistent energy levels, improved mood, better focus at work, better sleep, and yes, weight loss.
Note that prior to my whole30 I had been eating primal/paleo about 80/20 for about 3 months. After my whole30, same thing. So it isn't like I was coming from a SAD either time.
I am getting...none of that right now. I can tell I'm not losing weight by the way my clothes fit. And I am...miserable. Depressed. The sleep? it's hit or miss. The focus? a struggle. The energy and improved mood? No way.
I have thought a number of times about throwing in the towel. But, if nothing else, I'm going to get one thing out of this: I'm going to prove to myself that I can make it through a very difficult period without alcohol (a very important lesson for me) and without reaching for comfort foods. I am trying to tell myself that even if that is the only benefit I get this time around, it's worth it. I'm not quite believing myself yet, lol.
Another weird thing...this time it seems to be taking FOREVER to get through the 30 days. Even my close friend, who has done 3 of these, has joked that this is the longest whole30 ever (only 1,000 more days, she said to me yesterday, lol). I'm not saying the first one was a breeze...but this one has just been dragging on...

I'm on my second whole30 right now (day 25!). My first one I had a lot more food dreams, but just the last few days I've started having them again. The first was a bowl of cereal (seriously? cereal?). The second dream was better - I had a doughnut, lol. At least the doughnut is something that would have been indulgent. I was angry at myself in both the dreams, but was REALLY angry about the bowl of cereal.

I've decided to pop back into this thread. I'm currently in the middle (literally, day 15) of my second Whole30. I am doing another whole30 specifically for the sugar and the alcohol issues. After the first week, the sugar and crap food cravings were pretty much gone (the only thing that really still sounds good to me is really good dark chocolate). However, I would just about kill someone for a glass of wine. On the positive side, it has made me realize what is really important: not beer, not margaritas, not fancy cocktails...just red wine, lol.
After my first Whole30 in january, I did a really good job of managing my drinking and limiting it to fun, social outings with friends, the perfect wine with a great meal, and only 1-2 drinks even then. Of course, the fact that I'm on another whole30 means I didn't maintain that and went back to all my old habits. Drinking nearly daily, at least 2-3 drinks, often more on the weekends.
This second Whole30 is me giving myself a second chance to change my relationship to alcohol. I've learned a lot over the last 8 months and hope to put that information to good use. If I once again fall back into old unhealthy habits, then I'm going to do 90 days without alcohol (see https://www.hellosundaymorning.org), and decide at that point if it is something I can have in my life in a healthy way or not.
I'm trying not to borrow trouble from the future and worry about failing again, rather just getting back on track and remaining positive and hopeful and knowing I have a plan in place if things don't go as I hope.
I do think there is a correlation between sugar, crap food, and alcohol as well. I'm not sure I can cut one out without cutting out the others. They all seem interrelated to me.